The TV might be on for Dominicans

As i reported No Baseball on open TV for Dominicans, the local newspaper Listin Diario's Story have a interview with Rafael Oscar Perez the head of MLB office in the Dominican Republic, Mr. Perez points out that the major issue is a legal one.

Also see Dodger Thoughts', the news looks better if Jon writes them.

The rights to Broadcast the games in Dominican where sold to MEDCOM, a member of the Baninter Media Group, since last May the Goverment is controlling that MEDCOM, so the Goverment and MEDCOM ows MLB US$ 1.7 millions for last season broadcasts.

Mr. Perez said that the legal part is more complicated than the money and that had prevent the parts in and agreement.

"What's is important here is not the money, it's to break the contract with company that had the rights and be able to sell them to another company that interested in buying the rights".

"The debt it's in the past" he said about the 80.0 million Dominican Pesos, "MLB it's willing to negotiate and reach a reasonable understament to resolve any pending debt" he said.

Mr. Perez said that MLB aknowledge that the Dominican Republic is the country behind the United States of Amercia that produces more players.

"Is not lack of support, it's legal stuff that prevent us to reach and an agreement with a new company to Broadcast the games on open TV".

"I can't say who's interested now, but there's a solid group interested an we are only waiting for the legal situation to be fixed and sell the rights to this group".

Mr. Perez is optimistic that the Dominicans will watch the games on open TV this season.

Dominicans had baseball on open TV 7 days a week, from a Monday to Friday the best 7:00pm game was broadcast, and in Saturday and Sunday and 1:00pm, and sometimes double headers on some west coast game that Pedro Martinez pitched.

If an agreement is not reached the games will only be seen on DirecTV and Cable, and in Cable only the Cubs, Braves and some Mets games.

The biggest thing to resolved is that the actual President is wiliing to be Re-elected, but the polls shows that he have only a 13% chance, so they want to use the Baseball Broadcast to advertise in favor of the actual president, and of course, with out paying MLB, so that's the big legal problem.